Florida Highway Patrol Has America’s Coolest Cop Car
The 70th Anniversary Corvette now decked out in black and tan was nabbed by the FHP in conjunction with the DEA and didn’t cost state residents a penny
April 15, 2025 at 15:13
- Florida Highway Patrol has been showing off the latest edition to its patrol fleet.
- The 2023 C8 Corvette Stingray was seized from bad guys with the DEA’s help.
- Wearing classic FHP black and tan colors, the Stingray has a 194 mph top speed.
They say crime doesn’t pay, but it earned the Florida Highway Patrol a mean-looking junior supercar that’s about to be deployed to keep the state’s roads safe, and its drivers below the speed limit.
The FHP took to Facebook this week to showcase its fleet’s new C8 Stingray. And it was quick to head off the inevitable complaints about cops wasting money on toys when they should be looking for who broke Mrs Jones’ windows by making it clear that the 2023 Vette didn’t cost the force, or state residents, so much as a nickel.
Related: You Can Get $15,000 Off New Corvettes Without Even Asking
Rather than being bought through a conventional dealer, the C8 came to the FHP fleet after it was confiscated, presumably from some lowlife.
“The Corvette was seized by the Florida Highway Patrol, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, it was not purchased with state funds,” FHP wrote on Facebook.
“[It] will be utilized to support the Florida Highway Patrol’s mission of keeping our roadways and highways safe, and will be often seen at various educational outreach events,” the cops explained.
Images: FHP
Pictures from FHP and an exclusive video from YouTube channel Nick Off Duty show the 70th Anniversary Stingray looking hot in its black paint topped by the classic FHP tan roof, and a tan spoiler, which definitely isn’t the kind of thing you see on most FHP patrol cars. And although the base C8 has become overshadowed in the past couple of years by the faster, more powerful, Z06, ZR1 and E-Ray, it still looks intimidating in your rear-view mirror and can still haul ass when needed.
The 6.2-liter LT2 pushrod V8 kicks out 490 hp (497 PS) or 495 hp (502 PS) with the optional sports exhaust – enough for a 194 mph (312 kmh) top speed and a 3-second zero to 60 mph (97 kmh) time. Although this car features a few goodies that suggest it might have the Z51 package, the brake calipers seem to be telling us it’s the base car with a few dress up parts (some of which came with the 70th Anniversary car). But we know we can rely on you C8 experts to set us straight if we’re wrong.
Is this C8 the best American cop car currently in service? Or do you prefer North Carolina’s Ford Mustangs? Be sure to leave a comment and let us know.
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